The Club
by Salvatore Shan NW
Summary: Ash's evil cousin Jude finds his own soulmate but will he change for her? And will he find out about two girls called Rashel and Mare? Hunter's only a phone call away...
1. Flirt In The Club

I could feel his eyes on me. Okay, maybe I was just _slightly_ hallucinating – I'd had one too many – but he was still staring at me with those eyes of his, those dark eyes that shone like haematite crystal, reflecting like cats' eyes whenever the light shone against them. It flattered me and since I was in a flirty mood I swayed up to his table, where he was sat with two other boys his age. One had blonde hair, the other a dark colour. Black or brown - I couldn't see in the light. This one, the one I was after, had brown hair with blonde streaks. It ran down to his ears and was trimmed perfectly – it looked like it would never grow out of place. It wasn't like how skaters or Goths have their hair – shielding their eyes – I had a feeling that he was 'out there', and he wanted people to see his stare, for what reason I couldn't decide.

"Hi," I grinned, twirling my hair around my finger. He looked up at me, took a sip of his drink, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned at me. A shiver ran down my spine, a delicious, pleasant one. "Hey," he replied. The two other boys shifted nervously and started looking around the club, looking anywhere but at me. I didn't pay any attention to them. Something about them made them off limits – they probably had girlfriends. I had a radar for single guys, and it was working right that instant. It was the same ability that made me irresistible.

"My name's Natasha Falmouth, but you can call me Tash." I bent down and fluttered my eyelashes, doing it delicately. I looked a hell of a lot different to those blondes who think if they bat their eyes and make them look noticeable will win the guy. If they'd just make them _want_ to notice. If they're interested in you, they'll search your face and notice. They'll get the picture. Less is more. Normally, guys looked nervous when I flirted with them, putting them on the spot – but this one wasn't scared – not in the slightest.

"Hi Tash," he stopped, relishing in saying my name, and looked over at his friends who seemed to turn away, even though he didn't notice. "My name's Jude Redfern. That's my cousin Ash," he pointed to the blonde boy, "And our friend Quinn," he turned his finger to the other. I knew he wasn't going to send me away if he'd told me his name, so I sat down on his right, opposite Ash and Quinn. They looked at each other, sighed and turned to the entrance of the club. I think they were waiting for someone.

"So Jude, I've never seen you in here before." I grinned, holding my Bacardi in my left hand, swirling it every now and then. Jude's eyes flashed in the light and for some reason I was curious what the other boys' eyes were like. I'd already seen Ash's… his were brown – I could tell when he sighed. I looked back. They were blue. A sorrowful, panicky blue that spelt danger. I could feel his fear; it was like a sixth sense. I could've sworn his eyes had been brown! Maybe it was the drink. I peered down at my bottle, frowned, and settled it down on the table – refusing to drink any more.

Jude suddenly replied and I was snapped back to attention. His eyes were almost grey, but every now and then it seemed they became black – like a shroud coming up over his eyes, shielding his thoughts and feelings. Like a Terminator. "No, we've never been in here before – have we boys?" he turned to his friends, who mumbled a negative. I stared at them, curious as to why they were acting so strange. They were all good-looking, and all seemed dangerous in their own way. Almost reminding me of someone who seemed nice enough to walk you home and then, later on, they would spring on you and… and…

A shimmer of evil behind their bland expressions. Except two of them were on their day off. Quinn and Ash looked as if they wanted to bolt.

"Well, come to think of it I've never seen you in town before. Do you live here?" I asked. Jude grinned and waved a hand. "We sure do. Ash lives here with his girlfriend," he stopped, glanced at his cousin, who was deep in conversation with Quinn, and turned to me. "She's an astronomer. She lived out in Oregon, Briar Creek – really quiet place. So she left – for him."

"How sweet," I replied, leaning in closer. I crossed my legs, flashing my brown fishnets. Jude peered down, briefly, before staring into my eyes again. "It is sweet," he agreed. "And Quinn's moving down here as soon as he can persuade _his _girlfriend." _I knew it_! I thought. _They _did_ have girlfriends_. I was brought up to trust my instincts and right now – I thought that Jude was worth the ride, so long as there wasn't a girl around…

"Do _you_ have a girlfriend?" I asked, gradually getting closer and closer to him. I could smell his aftershave and it nearly made me dizzy with happiness. He really _was_ gorgeous… He laughed and cocked his head on one side, as if to figure me out. After a minute he shook his head. "No," he smiled and then he touched me. Okay that sounds dodgy, I know, but not in _that_ way. Only a slight touch of my cheek. I figured he was reaching to push back a bit of my hair, to brush it back behind my ear, but he never got to do it.

What happened was there was a flash of lightning as his skin touched mine. My world swam with purple and pink lights, like the aurora borealis. My vision was spinning and all I could see was Jude out of control - looking at his hand, then where he'd touched me. I could see his eyes roll back. I realised the same was happening to me. It seemed to happen so fast. When I faded out I could hear the words of "… _your out of touch, I'm out of time_…" play, and when I snapped to attention, it was the next line – but it felt like an eternity had passed between each phase.

I could feel my body erupt with spasms. I was twisting my neck back involuntarily. My hair fell backwards, dangling about my throat like a veil. Jude's eyes snapped open and I saw that his pupils were covering his entire eye – not just removing his irises, but blotching out the white too. He looked like a… like a _bat_? He hissed like one too, just when I thought he was going to pounce on me and bite into my neck (like vampires do) he jumped out of his seat and ran. Ash and Quinn's eyes followed him. They were sat, very still, in their seats – faces white.

Me? I was leaning backwards, choking out breaths and wondering what the hell had just happened. I could feel Jude's presence leave me, which had come forward like a swarm of bees, dark and determined to fight. I had been absorbed in him, drowning in his mind. _I had heard his thoughts_… I realised. I opened my right eye a fraction, saw Jude stomping off to the boys' toilets, and sighed.

He'd been thinking: "_I'm having _this_ reaction with vermin?" _and_ "I can't believe this is happening to me!" _but the thing that shouted louder than all thoughts was one word. That word wasn't something he'd been _saying_ in his mind as such, but it was like a memory of being told something creeping up so I could see. "_Your soulmate is someone you react with – meaning when you touch it hits you like lightning – if the pulse is strong between you two. You can read each other's minds… you may hate that person but it can't prevent it. You are destined to be together…_" and that was the basic gist of it. But the word… the word that made me feel weak was 'soulmate'. I had no idea why – your soulmate is normally someone who has exactly the same interests as you so you'd be completely compatible. But for some reason, that word just stuck to me as if I was covered in double-sided sticky tape. _Soulmates_…

Ash was looking at Quinn with slight interest. Quinn's eyebrows were in his hair and he looked amused. "Well, well. Of all the people-"  
"Don't Quinn. You never thought it would happen to _you_," Ash pointed out, staring his friend down. I sat up, looked down at myself and gazed over at the others. They looked as if they wanted to laugh.  
"Or you, Ash." Quinn told him, smiling, "But I never thought… This is rich! Jude? I mean come on, Ash! It's hilarious – did you see his face?"  
Ash grimaced. "You should have seen mine." I started getting curious. "W-What are you talking about?" I interjected, staring at the two of them. Ash stopped, followed by Quinn. He'd been in mid-sentence, spouting off something about 'Rashel had been on top of me when I knew…' but I'd cut him off. Ash hadn't been listening anyway.

When Ash was about to say something (I noticed his eyes were green), Jude appeared suddenly over their shoulders. He'd splashed water on his face and his cheeks were pink. He looked terribly sober all of a second. He reminded me of a cat that had been happily being stroked until someone had stood on its tail. Unhappy… _furious_, even. "We're going," he frowned. Quinn opened his mouth just as Ash grabbed Jude's elbow in objection. To finalise it, Jude cried, "NOW!"

"Sheez!" Ash and Quinn stood up slowly, smiled apologetically at me, then turned. Jude stared at me for a few minutes. I thought he was just going to leave me when all of a sudden he said: "Do you need a lift?"  
I had no idea that I was nodding, it seemed my body was moving on automatic. Someone with stronger forces – like Cupid – was intertwining Jude and I, weaving us into a web of lust. _God I hope it is_, I thought. _I don't want to fall in love with _him

I grabbed my coat from the chair and followed the three boys out of the club.


	2. Kiss In The Park

The car waiting outside was a black Porsche, a convertible. Quinn drove. Ash was sat in the front with him and I sat in the back with Jude, who gave me curious looks all through the ride. I thought it was strange that at first Quinn didn't ask me where I lived – in fact, for a while he just drove around town.

Finally, Jude cleared his throat when we passed the club for the second time. "So, uh, Tash – where do you live?" he asked. I smiled, politely, not really wanting to keep the pretty girl routine up for much longer.

"25th Avenue." I told him. "If you stop at the end of the street I can walk from there." I looked to my right, out at the street. Quinn was driving me back home and we were halfway there when the car stopped. I stared in complete and utter shock at the driver's seat.

Quinn's head snapped and he pitched forward, slamming his forehead on the steering wheel. Ash slumped against the window. I turned to Jude, thinking that he might collapse too when I saw he was grinning. Maybe Quinn and Ash's drinks had been spiked or… but then why-?

"Do you want to take a walk?" Jude asked, casually opening the door of the car. Startled, I looked around at the two unconscious boys and then checked to see if anyone was around. The streets were deserted. Football was on and the traffic was over the other side of town, near the stadium. No one was out at this time of night and if they were, they were watching our team practice for the game next week. They normally played nights now that they had the new lighting.

"But the car-"

"No one's around, besides – Quinn's exhausted, he'll wake up soon but we should give him a chance to rest." Jude replied, still smiling. I didn't like it. Not at all. I was brought up never to trust strangers – especially good-looking ones. But Jude had this effect on me that made me say –

"Yeah, I guess." I shuffled along the leather seats and Jude helped me out, holding my hand slightly. The pink haze came back and choked me but then disappeared when he pulled away. He nodded at me, curtly, when I stepped out. "Mademoiselle," he sneered holding out his arm. I took it, even though my insides screamed to get back in the car and wait for the other two to wake up. The funny reaction that seemed to happen between Jude and I stopped. It seemed it was only skin-on-skin.

* * *

We'd been walking for about five minutes in complete silence when the questioning began. "So, Tash, how old are you?" Jude asked. I told him I was eighteen and then he told me he was too. Then we talked about friends and family, apparently Jude had lived on an island when he was younger. An island off the state of Maine. He said he had a big family. He'd lived in a house with his father, his mother, his uncle and his aunty, along with four of his cousins, Ash included.

We walked out of a back alley and down to a park at the back end of a nursery. I didn't recognise this part of town. Even though I didn't live that far from here I'd never been down the back streets before. But Jude seemed to know where he was going.

He paused and then rested on a swing, sitting down. I did the same on the one next to him. I was only slightly kicking my legs and swinging but then impulse took me and I started swinging properly, getting higher and higher. The frame squeaked and woke Jude up. He seemed to forget temporarily where he was and then he stared at me with confusion. I smiled sweetly and he sighed, brushing his hair back. There was something seriously weird about him.

"Tash, I-" he stopped, bowed his head and then started swinging along with me too. He glared up at me with a playful fire in his eyes. "I bet I can swing higher than you!" he cried. I laughed, feeling like a kid again and pushed up with my feet, kicking wildly.

"I'd like to see you try!" I growled back. He snapped his gaze to me, smiled slyly, and started swinging so high I thought he'd fall off. My heart skipped beats when he launched himself so high he almost went around in a circle. At one point he was parallel to the bar and the frame groaned with the strain.

I stopped swinging and watched with awe as his legs kicked the ground so hard I thought his feet had left imprints. My mouth was open in disbelief. And all the while he still had that same grin plastered on his face. A show of power. That was all it was. He was being a bigheaded, cocky know-it-all.

I scowled. "Nice trick," I declared, before storming off. I'd left my coat hanging on the rails surrounding the park. I was making my way over to it. As soon as I'd taken a few steps, Jude had leapt off the swing and had landed like a cat in front of me, knees bent, fingers gracefully touching the floor. His head was bowed until he tilted it upwards to look at me.

"You're only saying that because I beat you – fair and square," he shrugged and stood up, shaking his arms and legs. They must have been aching after all of that kicking. I grimaced and turned away, grabbing my coat and putting it on.

Jude came over and helped me with my right sleeve and he smiled, looking like a gentleman. Suddenly, I snapped. "Why did you bring me here?" I asked. I could feel my face reddening but I didn't care. "Why? So you could beat me in a game on the swings? What did you exactly want to do with me, Jude Redfern?"

It was then that his lips collided with mine and my eyes snapped open in shock. I think he was surprised himself but he didn't open his eyes, just grabbed me tightly around my back and held me close. My eyes flickered to his face. His cheeks were pink – whether he was embarrassed, angry or just flustered from our little competition I didn't know. I shut my eyes and kissed him back.

* * *

Darkness. Darkness so bleak that I couldn't see anything, everything clouded my vision. Black thoughts. Bad thoughts. Memories so bad, so… _Tash, no! _But I was already walking forwards through the mist, batting the darkness away until I saw a receding corridor of kaleidoscope colours, hidden behind this curtain of dark. _Tash, stop – you're… you're killing me!_

I pressed on. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing but I had a feeling… an impulse to just brighten things up in this dingy excuse for a… _GET OUT! _

* * *

I collapsed to the floor, panting. My face was pale and I was crawling away from Jude who was standing above me, mouth in a tight snarl. His eyes were shut and his fingers were balled up into claws. I realised where I was. In the park, with Jude, with a stranger…

But what the hell had that been? I'd disappeared completely from this world and it was as if… as if I'd been in his mind! Hadn't he been talking to me through his thoughts? Through telepathy? I shook my head, trying to banish the confusion.

Jude's muscles relaxed and he opened his eyes. He looked at me on the floor and without realising it, leant down and helped me up. "Tash…"

"Take me home," I snapped, turning away from him and opening the gate that exited the park. He stumbled out after me and we walked in silence back to the car, apart. He looked like he was thinking – and that it was hurting him. He kept holding his hand to his head and shaking it in confusion.

* * *

When we did reach the car, Quinn and Ash were awake and pale – just about to get out of the car when they saw Jude and I round the corner. I was frowning and flung myself into the back seat. Jude got in after me.

Ash sent him a look that basically meant 'what happened', but Quinn had already put his foot on the ignition. Ash's head snapped back and he faced the road. Quinn's mouth was in a tight line.

When the car stopped at the end of my street, I leant into the window and muttered my goodbyes – saying thank you to Quinn. His eyes went straight to my throat and it puzzled me why he was looking either side of it. Maybe my perfume was hurting his eyes or something. Maybe it was an impulse thing. I don't know.

Jude looked up at me, waved, and then looked back down at his lap. I scowled and stormed down my street, opening my front door and shutting it as quietly as I could. I was fully aware that Jude now knew where I lived, because I looked out of the front room window and saw the Porsche was still there - but I was way past caring. Let him see. What's he going to do? Stalk me?

"Robinson!" I called up the stairs. "I'm home!"

"Tash, get to bed!" came the reply from my big brother. _Gladly_, I thought, before kicking my high heels off. I took one quick look outside, carried my shoes to the door and put them down. I bolted upstairs before I could mull over the fact that Ash and Quinn were yelling at Jude outside.


	3. Blood Exchange

Darkness. Darkness so bleak that I couldn't see anything, everything clouded my vision. Black thoughts. Bad thoughts. Memories so bad, so… _Tash, no! _But I was already walking forwards through the mist, batting the darkness away until I saw a receding corridor of kaleidoscope colours, hidden behind this curtain of dark. _Tash, stop – you're… you're killing me!_

I pressed on. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing but I had a feeling… an impulse to just brighten things up in this dingy excuse for a… _GET OUT! _

But this time I didn't leave. Not immediately anyway. I strode up until the corridor was only a few inches from my face, until I could feel the rainbow wash over me and tease me – telling me to make sure that it spread, telling me to help it banish the darkness forever.

And that was what I did. I started grabbing the darkness and flinging it into the light, where it turned a dark shade of purple and disappeared in a rush of steam. It was fun and I kept feeding it in as if it were coal into a fire. And each cloud of fog was a memory, a thought. A bad thought.

And I didn't leave until the place was nice and alive with colour. I clapped my hands and grinned. _This'll do nicely, _until I was pushed out and I found I was being cradled in Jude's arms and he was raining kisses up and down my neck. I felt so safe in his arms… so comfortable.

His warm breath against my throat made me shiver and the next minute I felt a different kind of kiss at my neck. A kiss that sent a warm liquid trickle down and gather about my head like water. Jude was drawing blood – he was _biting_ me. And I was waiting for the burst of pain that didn't come.

* * *

Slowly, I opened my eyes and my vision cleared. I wasn't in the park. I was at home, in bed, lying stiff in my sheets. Because someone was by my bed and they were biting me like Jude had been doing in my dream. 

I let out a squeal and tried to scream but no sound would come out. I started kicking, writhing in my bed, and hitting out at the person who was fussing about my neck. My actions spoke for themselves. The person stood up and hissed. I could see their face as the amber light from the street lamp outside washed in through my window.

_Jude_. Jude was here, in my room. And his mouth… his chin… the entire lower half of his mouth was coated in red – as if he'd dipped his jaw in cranberry juice. My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to scream, but his hand had already clamped over my mouth.

It made no difference. I could hear Robinson clumping about in the other room. "Natasha? Are you having a nightmare?" he called. I tried biting down on Jude's wrist but when I did, he didn't even look at me. I didn't draw blood. In fact, the little dents my teeth made disappeared almost immediately.

"Tasha?"

_You had a nightmare… _came the purring voice in my head, going against anything I'd ever believed. Because it wasn't my voice or Robinson's. It was Jude's. But his lips didn't move. _Clever trick_, I thought for the second time that night.

Jude withdrew his hand and I my eyes gleamed as I stared at him, menacingly. "Robinson, someone's…" my throat constricted and I couldn't continue, I felt as if someone had trapped my neck in a vice. "I'm being attack-"

Jude glared at me, his eyes no longer their usual timid grey, a violent black. The same colour as the clouds in his mind. Because I _had_ been in his mind. I knew it now.

"I'm being attacked by someone in my dreams," I finally gasped out. I glared at Jude who smiled back and then, without a word, crouched down and started sliding beneath my bed. I felt sick. Sick and worried.

My bed sheets were wet and I could see in the orangey-yellow light that they were a dark, scarlet red. Red with blood.

My brother appeared at my door. Like me, he had brown hair and violet eyes, except his hair was almost blonde whereas mine was almost black. My eyes were a dark purple whereas his were almost blue. He was in his early twenties and had taken care of me ever since our parents died in a car accident when I was ten. I knew I was old enough to leave home but he was good company and was a decent housekeeper.

He looked at me and smiled. He couldn't see my sheets or my face. Just my figure. "Tash, you're eighteen – you shouldn't be having nightmares,"

I nodded and rolled over to make out I was trying to sleep. For some reason, I didn't want to give away Jude's position. I was also happily aware that as I turned, the mattress must have hit him in the face. I wasn't happy for long though, because my face was now directly resting in the pool of blood both on my pillow and linen. I could smell and taste the rank copper it stank of.

Robinson sighed. "Was it about Mum and Dad again?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe. I managed a smile. "No, about some jerk who hit on me in the club," my voice was high-pitched and sweet.

Robinson laughed. "I hope you got him good, sis." He replied and I wasn't entirely sure whether he meant in reality or in my dreams. "Night, Tash." He shut the door and trudged back to his room.

"_Some jerk who hit on _you? If I remember, you were the one who came up to me." Jude's voice was muffled from under the bed. But now that Robinson was gone, I was back to being terrified. I should've told Robbie about him… now he's just gonna launch for my neck again…

But Jude didn't. He crawled out from underneath and looked me straight in the eyes. I saw that his mouth was now clean and that he'd wiped the blood away. I couldn't meet his gaze without hiding further under the covers. I turned away.

He did look genuinely sorry and stole a glance at my neck .He scowled and looked down at his feet. "Tash, I'm sorry." He told me. I didn't look at him, and I wrapped my left hand around the puncture wounds in my neck. I had a feeling that that was why he'd taken me to the park earlier – but he'd never got to do it. _And_ it was the reason why Quinn checked my neck. I'd finally worked Jude out after only knowing him for a few hours. He was a vampire. A ruthless, dirty, cocky little…

"You're right," Jude admitted. I glared at him, shying away. "Huh?" I stammered, even though I knew what he meant. Our eyes locked again and he muttered, "I _am_ a vampire," Before it hadn't sunken in but because he was admitting it –

my world span out of control and I didn't think that I'd ever come to terms with life again. I was one of those people who thought humans were the top predators and nothing would ever change that. And being bitten by a vampire and talking to one wasn't exactly on my list of 'to-do'.

"Tash, I'm sorry – I don't know why-" he broke off. Slowly, he sat down on my bed and strangely – I let him. "I don't know why I just did that, Tash." He looked up at me and for an instant, I imagined there were tears in his eyes. Or was that what it was – my imagination? Because what I'd thought about vampires, what I'd always thought, were that they were killers. Cold blooded killers.

I began to feel dizzy and I sat back against my pillows, smiling stupidly. I was nothing to the world anymore, I was floating. Dots swam in my vision and I opened my mouth happily. The ultimate high. I felt as if I was slipping away and drifting up to the clouds…

"Tash? _Tash_?" Jude was gawping at me and trying to shake me awake but I didn't listen. I was losing myself in this little paradise.

"_There's a boy I know, he's the one I dream of. Looks into my eyes, take me to the clouds above…_" I sang, feeling sleepy and light-headed.

"Oh God, Tash!" Jude was grabbing hold of me, roughly shaking me now. I continued to sing, feeling so peaceful, so at one with the world. Slipping away… just slipping away… _Take me to the clouds above_.

Jude started cursing and I heard a tearing sound. I guessed that it was my sheets. A second later I felt someone dabbing at my neck, holding the makeshift tissue there, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Bleeding? _What bleeding_? I was so high I couldn't care.

And then I felt Jude on top of me and he was shaking me. It disturbed my peace but my body was so light that I couldn't gather any strength to do anything about it. I couldn't see anything except this bright, bright light.

Jude crawled up so his head was parallel with my headrest. The bottom of his neck was just by my mouth and automatically I reached up and started kissing him there. And then my lips stumbled across a wound, a small cut.

Blood trickled steadily from it and I pressed my lips to it. I started to drink without hesitation or persuasion and melted. It had no real taste, nothing I could put my finger on… it made my mouth water like… like…

A list of tastes popped into mind. Passion fruit. Vanilla. Chocolate. Mango. Strawberries. Apples. Ginger. Cinnamon. Coconut. Turkish Delight. Cheesecake.

And I found I could change the blood to taste however I wanted it. This was far more fun and pleasurable than drifting off to sleep and falling into the clouds. The pink haze was back and so was the corridor of rainbows. _Jude_ was back.

And this tasted so nice… it kept me warm, made me tremble with happiness. And as the blood flowed down my throat, I could _feel_ again. The numbness and the light-headedness wore off gradually.

_Tasha…_ I was no longer afraid. Of anything. Of Jude. Of the dark. _Jude… _I realised I could do it too. We were exchanging blood but it didn't seem like that. It seemed as if it were a lifeline. A helping hand. 

_I love you, Jude. _I told him.And that was the honest-to-God truth. I'd only known this guy for a few hours, I didn't know anything about him but I loved him. It was why I never called Robbie in the room. It was why I took that walk with him, why I kissed him, why I was doing this with him now. I couldn't explain how I felt but it had something to do with that word I'd heard earlier. Soulmates. _Soulmates_. _Soulmates_. _Are _we_ soulmates_?

_Tasha, I- _Jude began but I cut him off, furiously. _Don't try and deny it, Jude. You know that… _Okay, it was a long shot. I didn't know if he felt the same way and I was going to be completely embarrassed if he didn't, but…

_You're right. _Sigh. _Why hide it any longer? _And as I stopped drinking his blood and I pulled away I felt him lunge for my neck. I let out a gasp of surprise. _If we love each other we have to make it complete._

_What are you talking about? _I demanded, curious as to how our minds were still connected like this. I could feel Jude's dark humour and deadly seriousness absorb my mind, breaking upon it like waves on the shore. My head was taking a battering. _I'm going to turn you into a vampire. _

I couldn't prevent it, no matter how much I thought I loved him and wanted to keep him secret from Robbie. I screamed in objection. Jude hauled himself off and covered his ears, face pink with pain. I screamed louder than I had in my whole life and I knew it was only a matter of seconds. _When_ – not _if_ – Robinson was going to appear.

But instead of my brother charging in through my bedroom door, a dark figure flung himself through my window. I collapsed before I could react. Whether it was exhaustion or telepathic influence, I never knew. Because I wasn't in my room when I woke up, and Jude wasn't with me either.


	4. At The Outpost

I woke up when someone bent down over me and tossed my head to the side, running a finger over my neck. I couldn't tell who it was, but they had a light, almost formal touch – like a doctor who'd checked for wounds many times before. Then I caught their voice.  
"Well, Ash, it seems Jude was very keen to change her last night," a girl. It was a girl. I couldn't tell anything else about her, except that she sounded disgusted.  
"Rashel…" I recognised _that_ voice. It was the boy called Ash – Jude's cousin.  
"Shh, she knows what she's doing!" Another voice hissed. Quinn. "How bad is it, sweetheart?" _Well_. That was interesting, I grimaced.

Rashel stood up and let out a breath. "Savaged. She'll be fine – even though she lost a lot of blood. But if this is how someone treats their soulmate…" she didn't finish – left the sentence without an ending. "Oh, she's awake," Rashel looked down at me and smiled warmly. She had long, dark hair down to her waist – the same colour as Quinn's – and she had emerald green eyes. I noticed Quinn was holding onto her hips, standing behind her, his head on her shoulder. _Well, well_. Very interesting.

"Natasha? I'm Rashel. I'm here to help you," she grinned, flashing her teeth. The way she stood sent shivers down my spine. She was standing like a predator, eyeing up her next meal. Like a vampire. She relaxed her stance and turned around to push Quinn away, playfully. "Tell him she's awake," she told him, and then turned back to me.

I noticed that besides Quinn and Rashel, Ash was in the room too. He had a girl on his arm that had brown/black hair down to her shoulders and bright blue eyes. She was the complete opposite of Rashel. Where Rashel looked predatory and formal, she looked unsure and foreign. Vulnerable.  
Ash tightened his grip on her and pulled her, gently, down so she was sat on his lap. He was staring at her intently. "Natasha, this is Ash and Mare." Rashel introduced, nodding at the other two. I grinned, shyly, and sat up. I got two simultaneous 'hellos' back.

Quinn entered the room again and nodded. "He was pretty mad," he told Rashel, going over to sit in the chair on Ash's left. I looked around. The room was like a doctor's surgery. There were four chairs along the wall, the fold-down ones. The type you get at the cinema. The walls were painted white and the flooring was cream-coloured linoleum.

I was laying on a futon in the corner, with Rashel at my side – cotton wool in hand. A table on my left was strewn with disinfectant and bandages. Holding my hand to my head, I smiled lazily. "Where am I?" I asked, focusing my attention on Rashel.

"You're…" she stopped. "Hmm, should we tell her? Or would it be kinder to influence her? Quinn?" the dark-haired boy was too busy staring at some poster on the wall saying: _Soulmate disco, Saturday night. Boy-girl couples only. _"Quinn!" Rashel hit him on the arm and he came to attention immediately.  
"I heard you!" he growled, rubbing his arm. "I don't know. After what he did to her… do you think-?" he paused and then looked at the other couple. "What do you guys think?"

Ash and Mare looked at each other and pulled faces. "This is above us – don't you think?" Mare grimaced, twiddling a strand of hair around her middle finger. Rashel shook her head, vigorously.  
"You know what Thierry will say. He'll say that we should leave them be – but Jude… didn't he have a reputation for being even _worse_ than you two?" she pointed two fingers. One at Ash, one at Quinn. The two boys shrugged and looked uncomfortable.

"Jude was one of the reasons why I went bad," Ash told her. All the while, I was getting mad because I had no idea what they were talking about. Also because they were obviously talking about _me_.  
"Do it," Rashel turned to Quinn and frowned. "It would be the kindest thing. If he's just going to-"

That instant a mangled boy ran into the room, flustered. He had long black hair down to his ears and green eyes not as bright as Rashel's. "He's out!" he panted, clutching his side. That second a girl with red, wavy hair ran in after him. She had grey eyes that were almost blue – or some colour in between. She was breathless too.

"He got the jump on us. We thought he was tied up and then-"  
"He says he's coming for her," the boy cried. "You have to do something with her – I've never seen anyone like this before!"  
"Morgead, calm down." Ash was standing up, Mare following suit, and they both were surrounding him. Morgead simply shook his head in exasperation. Determined, Rashel turned to Quinn, jaw set.

Quinn nodded, walked over to me and touched my forehead with his thumb. _Erase, _he muttered. _You were at home last night. You didn't see anyone in this room or Jude, understand? _

My mind started to go foggy but I was conscious enough to realise that Jude hammered into the room that instant. "TASHA!" he screamed, and he was running forward, but that instant three boys leapt on top of him and held him down. Then the red-haired girl and Rashel did too and Mare was left there, staring at me with large, sympathetic eyes.

Under all of those bodies, Jude was still trying to claw out. "_Tasha_? What have you done to her?" he gasped. And then everything went black.


	5. The Incident With The Bed

Sorry this chapter took so long. I hope you didn't think this story was over. And also, I should've said that this book is set between Huntress and Black Dawn. Hunter's not dead yet, okay?

* * *

The room filled with people was gone. I was in a foggy darkness, surrounded by nothing except inky black eternity. Someone's arms were around me. I was coming to. I'd been out for hours yet I hadn't known it. To me it had been only a few seconds I was left in that world of nothing.

My eyes flickered open. And there, right in my face, was Jude. He looked… gorgeous. I tried to not let it show on my face.  
_Think of all he's done to you. He bit you – he attacked you! _A voice in my head said.  
The other kept crying out: _I don't care, I love him. _

The other voice said: _how the hell do you remember him?  
_I sat up. Jude noticed immediately.  
"No, Tasha, don't move."  
I blinked a couple of times – then rubbed my eyes. "That guy… _Quinn_. Wasn't he supposed to wipe my memory?"  
I remembered now. And I realised what they were talking about. Sort of. I had a hunch that all the boys in that room had been vampires.  
Who knows? Maybe even Rashel and the girl with Morgead were vampires too.

Jude blinked furiously for a few minutes. Then smiled lazily. "Well, I had to get your memories back. I'm very good at that. I taught Quinn everything he knows, but I didn't teach him everything _I_ know."

"You can restore memories?" I asked.  
Jude nodded.  
I looked around. I was in someone's apartment – most probably Jude's. The furnishings were modern and suave. It was all very comfortable and had the touch of a teenage guy. A _rich_ teenage guy.

"Where _was_ that place and how did I get there?" I asked Jude. I had a million questions but it was best to start at the beginning.

Jude sighed. He didn't look very hostile. He looked… amiable. "When you collapsed at your house, Quinn jumped through the window. We'd had an argument in the car and I think he and Ash knew I was coming back for you. I had no _idea_ they were Daybreaker _scum_…"

"Excuse me?"  
"Nothing. Anyway, Quinn knocked me out and took us two to a Daybreaker outpost. Circle Daybreak is this type of cult thing for all types of creatures. Vampires, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, humans… The nice side of the bad side if you know what I mean."

"W-Werewolves? Witches? S-Shapeshifters?" I spluttered. When Jude had said 'bad side' it sounded like he was lying. His voice had gotten softer and his eyes had begun to shift. I had an idea that Jude was the bad one. Not Quinn, or Ash, or Ash's girlfriend… even Rashel. They weren't _evil_.

Jude was rushing on. "They want to collect as many s-_soulmate–" _he paused, then carried on. It was like he hated saying the word. "… soulmate couples as possible. But they realised how bad I screwed you over and tried to make you forget."

He looked into my violet eyes with his own dark eyes. My heart melted.  
"I'm sorry, Tash. I really am."  
I took a steadying breath. "And now you're gonna turn me into a vampire. Just like _you_. Just like Quinn. Ash. Rashel…"

"Whoa, whoa! Rashel ain't a vampire." Jude waved his hands to calm me down.  
I felt dizzy for an instant. "S-She's not?"  
Jude laughed hysterically for a few moments, then came to. "From what I understand… she's a vampire _hunter_."

I swallowed. _Oh. _That explains the predatory stance, then.  
"And that girl who ran in the room with the guy called Morgead?"  
Jude looked more serious. "She's a halfie. Half-human, half-vampire. But she lives her life as a human. No one knows much about her except that her name's Jez. She almost had a Wild Power once. She had a knot of people and one of them was it, but…"

"Jude, you're wasting your time. I don't know what a 'Wild Power' is."  
"_Goo-od_ point," he yawned, stretching out the word 'good'.  
I frowned. "Are _you_ a Daybreaker?"

He laughed. "Not a chance,"  
I looked at him seriously. "Why not? If we are a 'soulmate couple' then why don't we join?"  
Jude stared at me through heavily lashed eyes. "I'm a born and bred Night Person – that ain't ever gonna change,"  
I blinked. "'Night Person'?" I repeated.

Jude turned and pointed at something behind him. "For instance, to get back at that dirty cousin of mine – and my dear friend, Quinn – I'm gonna have a little… a little _conversation_ with a relative."

"Oh?" I mimicked. I tried to see behind him at what he was gesturing at. I couldn't.

Jude flashed a grin. "Yeah. A really _old_ relative. You _could_ say that he started my family off. See it works like this..."

He leant in close. I gulped in air and held my breath as his cheek collided with mine. He was so near to me. I wanted him away but I didn't get the chance to speak.  
"If anyone tries to take you away from me, they are effectively ending my life. Soulmates can't live without each other, I heard, so… let's see if Ash and Quinn can be in my shoes for a while."

"Jude, what are you _talking_ about?"

"I'm gonna phone someone called Hunter Redfern," He turned to face the phone. I realised I was lying spread-eagled on a bed with Jude on top of me. He leant to the left and picked up a cordless handset from the bedside cabinet.

He smiled dazzlingly. I've never, ever seen anyone look as insane after that moment. "I'm not gonna wipe their soulmates memories. I'm not gonna kidnap them and lock them away. I'm gonna make sure that they get what's coming to them…"

"_Jude_?" I glanced behind him. There, on the carpet – tied and bound – were three girls. Rashel. Mare. And the red-haired girl Jude had called 'Jez'. I gulped. "Jude, no!" By the way they were lying they were either drugged or dead.

"_How bad is it, sweetheart?" _Quinn had said. I remembered how loving he sounded.  
"Jude, _don't_. They _love_ those girls you can't just… just…"

"They were just gonna take you away from me. Without even caring how much I love you." He was furious, but he caught my eye and started shaking me. "I may only have known you for a few hours. I may hate all humans. BUT I LOVE _YOU_!"

His teeth gnashed furiously. I saw his vampire fangs. I gritted my teeth. He wasn't calming down. "And you love me, too. You _told_ me so! You can't go back on it now. We're soulmates, end of. So that means we stay together – right? We'll _be_ together." He grabbed the phone and jerked it out of its holster.

The next instant he was dialling a number.  
"Jude," I began breathlessly. "Jude, _no_." My begging didn't help. He thrust me down. I bounced on the mattress harmlessly.

And then I could hear the click of an answer on the other end of the phone.  
"Hello?" Jude spoke. "I'd like to speak with Hunter Redfern. I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse,"

I tried to clutch onto the boy that was supposed to be my soulmate. He ignored me. I started crying. Whoever he was handing these girls over to was going to hurt them. 'Get what's coming to them' usually means to kill someone, right?

"Three girls from soulmate pairings. All humans except for one hybrid. I believe you'll recognise one. Her name's Rashel. She's soulmates with your 'son' Quinn. She's the girl you tried to kill. After all these years you can finally get to her."

There was talking on the other end. Jude's face widened with a mischievous smile. "What's in it for me? The reaction on their boyfriend's faces when I tell them they're dead,"

"NO!" I screamed and pushed the phone from his ear. Jude let out a startled gasp. The phone landed on the floor with a bump. There was a beep as it struck the disconnect button. The line went dead.

"You little–" he turned to face me and pressed me deeper into the bed. "Don't you understand that I'm doing this for _us_? To prove to you? Huh?"

"You're just being a ratting jackass!" I cried, intending to knee him where it hurts. "And you're wrong! If you keep acting like this I'm _gonna_ hate you and I'm gonna leave!"

"You can't leave," Jude smiled. "I won't _let_ you. And it's not _possible_ for someone to hate their soulmate."  
"IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE DISGUSTED WITH THEM?" I shrieked. Jude practically fell backwards in shock. His face was crumpled. He looked very serious, very surprised… very upset.

He did a double take and composed himself. "Are you? Disgusted with me, I mean?" he asked, leaning in close and holding me down again.  
I gulped, not sure whether I liked the feel of his body holding me down like this. I felt ugly and used. Vulnerable. _Terrified_.

"I don't know. It depends whether you take those girls back…"

"What if I say I will?" he asked softly, breathing down my neck. He was doing a circuit of my face, pouting and rolling his eyes over me like he owned me. My breath came in short gasps.

"I might just forgive you,"  
Jude smiled seductively. "Good," He leant in. He kissed me. I wasn't sure whether I was meant to kiss him back. That was until he held the side of my face tenderly with both hands. It was hard not to, then. _Okay, maybe just one kiss…_

One kiss was saying a lot. It went deeper than that. _Much_ deeper. Before I knew it we were under the covers. We were naked. And the pink lights and lightning, which were customary of the 'soulmate connection', were so mind-blowing that I hardly noticed we were having sex.

He rained kisses up and down my body. I felt so at peace – I was in heaven. I knew he would do nothing to hurt me; he'd make it up to me.  
"I love you, Jude."  
"I love you, too, Tash."

It continued like that. I was worried the other girls would wake up, but they were unconscious – drugged. They'd be out for days.  
I put my full attention on Jude. We didn't stop for hours. Until we were holding each other and I was falling asleep in his arms.

He'd make it up to me. _He loves me, so everything will be fine.  
_I was wrong. He _couldn't_ love me. And I _couldn't_ forgive him.  
Because the blow came when I woke up. When I opened my eyes – Jude was gone. And so were the drugged-up girls.


End file.
